Let’s face it, the world would survive without us, and it will. This vast, beautiful planet is stronger than we can even imagine. We force it to react to the things we do to it. We expel countless species from this planet, yes. But the planet and many other species will survive us eventually, if we don’t learn how to treat ourselves better. Yes, ourselves, not the world. Which will result in treating the world and other beings better. It can’t happen though, if we don’t understand ourselves, our life and our purpose.

Hurt people hurt people. Hurt people hurt other beings. Hurt people hurt the earth. That is why hurt people need to heal themselves before they start doing anything else.

And that includes people who are trying to save the world. Don’t get me wrong. I am absolutely grateful how many people fiercely support this planet and all beings living on it. Some of those people are a little (or a much too) extreme though. Nothing extreme ever worked out long-term, did it? Forcing other people to believe in something or to do or omit something, is not helping. People need to wake up and become aware of their impact on the world.

People like Kate Nelson or maybe better known as @plasticfreemermaid on Instagram, fascinate me. She doesn’t use any disposable plastic since 2009 and does everything in her power to create awareness around this plastic topic. Very impressive and I am grateful that there are more and more people out there creating awareness for things that are completely out of balance and harming this planet, including ourselves. She is not forcing anyone to believe in anything, she does her thing. She lives her life, showing, offering, suggesting and being a role model. Those are the kind of people we need more of. Accepting other people’s (conscious) choices but trying to wake up unconscious people.

Plastic not only has downsides, it can be very useful, when used consciously. I believe it takes people that go extreme, like Kate, using no plastic, in order to create awareness around a topic. Because it makes people think. Think of your average year or maybe simply a week. Try not to use any disposable plastic. Not that easy, right? We don’t even recognize how often we use it, until we bring back awareness to the topic. And this works best when people have someone to look up to or to at least make them question their actions by simply being a role model.

I also believe that we are all different, unique. There is not “the one” way we are supposed to live. Vegan is great. But is it for everyone? No. And it doesn’t have to be in order to stop large-scale livestock farming. All it takes, is us making conscious decisions and restoring the balance. Regarding eating meat, I am not against it. It is not on me to judge how other people prefer to eat. Try telling me what I am supposed to eat and what not – haha. I used to eat meat too and animals eat other animals as well. The defining difference is that they kill as many animals, as they need to feed themselves. That’s it. Humans, instead, kill more than they are even able to eat and throw away large amounts of produced goods. Which includes everything we eat, not just meat by the way. That is the problem. People exaggerate things beyond measure.

There is a question that spins in my head over and over again: What sane person creates, produces, sells or consumes something, that can endanger their life? I believe not one person. If there is something, we all have in common, it is to stay alive as long and as healthy as possible. But people do it, all over the world, every day. Why? I came to the conclusion that people aren’t aware of what they are doing, not entirely. This is where saving the world starts, with each and every person, starting to become self-aware. Yes, self-aware. Not even aware of the entire impact their actions have on the world. Many, if not most people, can’t connect to something they have never seen. And to be honest, it is hard to connect to something that is so far away, and one doesn’t naturally have an interest in. Plus, everyone has enough problems in their own lives. Things that seem to matter much more at the moment, than thinking about saving the world.

Facing one’s true self and heal oneself is not easy, which is probably the reason so many people don’t do it.

People need to know, that they indeed matter. Know, that they are the conscious creators of their lives. Know, that they can be happy. Know, that they can give and receive true love. Know, that life is fair. Know, that they make a massive impact in this world by simply existing. Know, that everyone has a right to live and that we are all sharing this beautiful planet that provides us with all we need to survive and that in order to survive we need to look after it a bit and live in harmony with nature.

I truly believe and know in my heart that we can get there. We can restore the planet’s balance, if we understand that we need to save ourselves first, heal ourselves first. Healing wounds from the past generations, that are still part of us. The more aware we are of who we truly are and what our life is about, our purpose, the more conscious we make our decisions and the less we will hurt anyone or anything.

Melissa Kiss is a Professional Happy Human. She is happy and empowers others to be their happiest selves.
Her goal is to wake up in a world where all beings are happy & healthy. Knowing that happiness is a choice, that requires consistent work, she is not only working with clients one-on-one in Munich, NYC, LA and on her international retreats but shares articles online, and is creating an online academy to help people all over the world to be their happiest & healthiest version.
According to Melissa, bodyawareness, mindfulness and following our intuition are the three pillars to the life of our dreams.

The Thrive Global Community welcomes voices from many spheres. We publish pieces written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Learn more or join us as a community member!

Share your comments below. Please read our commenting guidelines before posting. If you have a concern about a comment, report it here.

This is a New a World : Let’s put an end to the international economic abuse

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

“People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.”